Vadama Brahmins

(Most of the material is taken from on line .I have also consulted books on Brahmin history )

Among the iyers this sub class is the largest .Vadamas could be taken as those belonging to the North( Or those who came from north) or those who were expert in Sanskrit a language of the north.Historians believe they were the second group of Brahmins to reach Tamil Nadu and came via the river banks of the sacred Narmadha . The family of Sri C.P.Ramasawami iyer were vada desathu Vadamas and they believed that Vadamas were migrants from the Desh Region of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh who migrated to Chithur of Andhra Pradesh and from there they migrated to Tamil Nadu

They believe that in the earlier daus Vadamas were more of Vaishvaites than Smarthas .Unlike the saiva sect they used to wear “Keethu Namam” as well as Gobichandanam. The proverb that “Vadamas matured in to Vaishnavas “ and the fact the saint Ramanuja was a Vadama Brahmin indicates that they were one of the major followers of Sri Vaishnavism

There are 5 sub groups among Vadamas:-

1.Vada Desathu Vadaman

2,Chola Desathu Vadaman’

3.SAbhayar(People who organised the society of iyers. There is Reference to their existence in 9th centuary)

4. Injee(Ginger)-Do not know much about them

5.Thammagunta DRavida (who migrated to Andhra)

Vadamas in large numbers have migrated to Kerala . Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh also

There is a common belief among Vadamas that they are the most superior among Brahmins .They say that once a king asked all Brahmin groups as to who is the most superior and all groups except Vadamas said Vadama was second to them and Vadamas claimed themselves as the greatest . It seems the king based on this decided that Vadamas were indeed the greatest.

There were large number of rich land owners from the Vadama Community ,. Writings about Tamil Nadu indicated that they were also administrators and ministers , when the kings were ruling Tamil Nadu. A Vadama called Nilakanta Deekshithar is supposed to have been the minisister of Thirumala Nayaks of Madurai. Large number of them were priests in different places of Tamil Nadu. There are references to show that the Namudiris of Kerala needed the service of a Vada desathu Vadama when he took Sanyasa

In every section of the great people in Tamil Nadu , we can find Vadamas.Here are are few great names:-

Religion

Appayya Dikshitar and nephew Neelakanta Deekshitar legendary scholars who re-established Advaita philosophy's predominance in the South belonged to the Vadadesa Vadama sect and migrated from places near Nasik. They were especially patronised by the rulers of Vellore and Madurai, Chinnabomma Nayak and Tirumalai Nayak, respectively.[32]

Rama- iyan (c. 17th century AD), general in the service of Thirumalai Nayak. Led the Madurai Nayak troops in the 1639 war against the Sethupathi of Ramnad. Subject of the ballad Ramayyan Ammanai.

Nilakanta Krishnan - Recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom) for his services to the Royal Indian Navy during the Second world war. Commanded the aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant in the Bay of Bengal during Indo-Pakistani War of 1971: was also the Flag officer commanding for the Eastern Naval Command of the Indian Navy during this war.

Arts

Syama Sastri, one of the doyens of Carnatic Music, a descendant of a group of Vadadesa Vadama who fled Conjeeveram in the wake of a Muslim attack.

Gopalakrishna Bharathi , his father Ramaswami Bharathi and grandfather Kothandarama Bharathi, a family of eminent Carnatic musicians

F.G. Natesa Iyer (1880–1963), founder of Rasika Ranjana Sabha, Trichy, talent scout,officer of the South Indian Railway Company,pioneered modern Tamil drama, Tamil cinema actor, also elected Mayor of Trichy in the 1920s